First topic message reminder :

its snowing here in Burgas, has not stopped all day.
where are you in BG &
are you having snow?

Netsniper, don't be a whimp

Wimp I'm not a wimp I just get very cold feet its an age thing

[size=55:30ct8kn6]Sofia echo 8 January 2010

Europe freezes and airports are severely affected, while Bulgaria bathes in spring

As Arctic winds whip northern Europe into a freezing frenzy, prevailing over the usual Gulf stream, vast swathes of the continent have experienced record cold temperatures, sustained snow and blizzards and scores of casualties as people have frozen to death. And forecasts indicate that more cold weather is on the way.

The severe cold snap affecting Europe has obstructed flight schedules at airports and stranded passengers in the UK, Germany, France, the Irish Republic and Bulgaria (mainly due to external factors foreign airports), the Netherlands and many others. The unusually severe winter comes as many scientists say we are in the midst of global warming.

Germany saw temperatures fall below -10C on January 7 2010 with worse to come. Poland is one of those hardest hit with temperatures reaching -27C in places, world media reported.

The United Kingdom is blanketed by snow and temperatures have plummeted to a record -21C, according to the Daily Telegraph. In southern England, about 4000 people were left without electricity after snow brought down power lines. In Scandinavia and in the north of Sweden, in particular, temperatures plummeted to a staggering -40.8C, the BBC reported on January 8 2010.

Dozens of flights were cancelled or severely delayed in many major UK airports, as well as Orly airport in Paris, Dublin International Airport, Amsterdam and countless others.

In spite of the Arctic onslaught, which has advanced as far afield as Spain and southern France, Bulgaria is experiencing record warm temperatures. The mercury touched 17C in many places with temperatures in Sofia on January 7 2010 soaring up to 14C at a time when the country should be blanketed by snow and well below zero.

The abnormally warm weather in Bulgaria has already seen flowers blossom at the beginning of January. Ski resorts are reeling as business suffers. The 2300m high Vitosha mountain, next to Sofia, should be under 1.5m of snow in the upper parts with temperatures down to -20C and skiing should be in full swing. Instead, spring is in the air.

And while the cold snap across most of Europe is expected to last for at least another week to 10 days, with more heavy snowfall and temperatures falling further, Bulgaria will remain warm, at least for the moment.

The Bulgarian Meteorologic Service says that on January 8, most of Bulgaria will be covered by clouds, but largely without precipitation. Temperatures will remain between 10C and 15C on average across the country, in places reaching 17C, while Sofia should be at about 12C.

The Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Service has warned skiers and mountaineers that conditions in the mountains are not ideal. Fluctuating temperatures and strong winds are not suitable for mountaineering while the snow, which has layered with different density, is highly prone to avalanches. Skiers must remain at designated slopes.

Along the Danube Valley in the north, temperatures will be between 1C and 7C but, once again, devoid of snow or rain.

South westerly winds in the mountains will intensify and by the late afternoon they are likely to reach storm intensity, the report says. At 2000m elevation across most Bulgarian mountains, temperatures will hover around an unseasonable 4C, instead of the usual (for the season) -20C.

Along the Black Sea, the weather will be mild and predominantly cloudy, with south-easterly winds and temperatures from 11 to 17C. This warm spell in Bulgaria is expected to last for several more days;
according to different reports, the cold snap will not arrive until January 13-14.

Although Sofia Airport is dry and visibility is good, flights arriving from northern Europe are likely to be delayed at take-off. For further information, consult the airport website at: [url=http:
//www.
sofia-airport.
bg:30ct8kn6][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Its snowing again here in Shropshire and its a little cold too

Its sunny but very cold here

Just been to the local 'Stocki' for bread, eggs and milk, it was so mild I had to take my coat off on the way home! Bizarre winter for Bulgaria.

well unfortunatly its not like that near the coast ..its damp and depresing...and chilly

Here in Lincs its very cold and horrible

sarah

Very cold here in Swindon and plenty of snow

scott wrote:

Very cold here in Swindon and plenty of snow

Here in Elhovo we had the 17 degrees forecast for one or two places.

Karen

Whats going on? this is all wrong for Bulgaria or is it global warming ?

[size=75:3uu91yzr]novinite 9 January 2010

Bulgaria Sets More Winter Warmth Records

Seven Bulgarian cities and towns set new temperature records of winter warmth Saturday, the National Meteorology Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences reports.

In the city of Lovech the maximum temperature was 20,4 degrees Celsius, beating the 2005 record of 18,5 degrees.

In the town of Sandanski where the record of 16,3 degrees was set in the distant 1948, the thermometer hit 18,5 degrees Saturday.

The city of Velkio Tarnovo registered 18,5 degrees, up from the 18,3 on the same day in 2005.

The city of Kyustendil had a temperature of 18 degrees, breaking an 80-year-old record, dating from 1920 when the temperature measured on January 9th had been 15 degrees.

The city of Blagoevgrad registered 17 degrees compared to the old record of 15 in 2001 while in the town of Karnobat, the thermometer hit 15,8 degrees, beating the 2001 record of 15 degrees.

The temperatures in the western parts of the Danube Valley, however, were only 3 to 4 degrees, and the cold was accompanied by dense fog.

The warmer air also brought strong winds with hurricane-like speeds in some parts – 72 km/hour in the city Shumen, 65 in the city of Kardzhali and 60 in the city of Blagoevgrad.

[size=55:37ax11q2]novinite 10 January 2010

Heavy Snow Hampers Air, Train Services Across Europe

Heavy snow across many parts of Western Europe caused transport problems, with delayed flights and limited train services.

French civil aviation authorities asked airlines to cut 25 percent of their flights from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport today, Bloomberg agency reported.

Eurostar is running its train service from London to Paris and Brussels at just over half the normal frequency and strongly recommends that passengers who don't need to travel cancel or postpone their trips. It said a restricted service will operate until Jan. 11.

Dublin Airport reopened this afternoon after ground crews cleared snow, a spokesman said.

Snow in the south east of England will become more widespread later today, eventually affecting much of the region by early tomorrow, Britain's Met Office said in a statement. Across northern parts of the U.K. it will be another very cold and icy night, it said.

Temperatures will remain below freezing throughout the weekend, Britain's Met Office said, with more snow expected across the south of the country tomorrow and the day after. The forecast comes after a week of freezing conditions that have hampered air, rail and road travellers across Europe and sent energy demand soaring across the Northern Hemisphere.

London's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest, said on its Web site that most flights are operating, adding that passengers shouldn't travel to the airport without checking with their airline. About 50 short-haul flights have been cancelled from Heathrow, Sky News reported. The airport handles an average of 1,296 flights a day, according to its Web site.

In Germany, authorities have advised that people buy enough food and medicines to last for up to four days as a blizzard bears down on large swathes of the country, Deutsche Welle reported.

More than 200 flights from Frankfurt airport, Europe's third busiest, were cancelled, and many German highways were clogged with crawling traffic due to heavy snowfall.

No cancellations were reported at Berlin's two main airports, Tegel and Schoenefeld, though authorities there said many flights were suffering from delays. In the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, a plane reportedly slid of a runway, causing the airport there to close for two hours. No one was injured in the incident.

Heavy rain and thunder at the moment in Kotel ... it's really dark too, like midnight in the middle of the day!

Have you got the candles ready Chris